I start with one big story, the Stagecoach (SGC) & National Express (NEX) bid talks. The other big story is the word “bird” being dubbed sexist at an insane Barclays (BARC) employment tribunal which I cover HERE. I also look at Versarien (VRS) ahead of its AGM, Chill Brands (CHLL) ahead of its AGM and at regulatory issues for Eurasia (EUA) and Deepverge (DVRG) where the wrongdoing is as plain as day.

Real Good Food (RGD) has announced results for its year ended 31st March 2021 and that “revenues and profit are in line with board expectations, and ahead of pre-pandemic levels (FY20), for the first five months of the new financial year, with good retail and international sales”. Why then a more than 13% share price fall, to below 3p?…

The 26p per share £11 million placing on Monday by Eurasia Mining (EUA) may open up not one but two cans of worms and I have written to my chums at the FCA asking for an investigation on two counts. The letter is below:

This website has made no secret of its cynical take on the valuation of one of Neil Woodford’s most controversial investments into Acquis lobster-pot listed Rutherford Health (RUTH), formerly Proton Parters. There was a tiny investment made at its IPO allowing Woodford to mark up his original investment heavily, but since Woodford held all the cards apart from Rutherford’s management, there was nobody to sell and thus the apparent price was, we argued, totally illusory. We predicted problems when the cash ran out……

This should be an open and shut case and, if only pour encourager les autres, Deepverge PLC (DVRG), its Nomad SPARK Advisory and its journalist trolling arse of a CEO Gerry Brandon should be served up with a severe public censure. I have written to the Oxymorons at AIM Regulation below.

Formerly SimplyBiz Group, provider of technology and support services to the UK Retail Financial Services sector Fintel (FNTL) has announced results for the first half of 2021 and emphasised “significant financial resources to match our ambitions for the business, both in terms of accelerating organic growth and creating value through acquisitions”. What of the valuation, with the shares little changed at around 235p?…

Well you cannot say that I did not warn you all that this would end in tears. Naturally, some Bulletin Board savants knew better than the Sheriff of AIM and heaped abuse on me in all the usual ways. Oh dear savants, you have lost all your money. Enjoy the poverty that lies ahead. Have you told your Mrs that Christmas is cancelled yet? For me, it has been fun while it lasted. No doubt Cynical Bear is, like me, enjoying ouzo on his cornflakes today as it was he who first alerted us all to the scallywags Charles Tatnall and James Longley who brought us Plutus and a raft of Standard list dogs which kept on lending each other money they could never repay. But today Plutus Powergen (PPG) has been booted off AIM. Hello: is that the Fat Lady I see rushing towards us? Nope. I think it is just my mother-in-law but you don’t want to mess with her either.

AIM-listed jam-tomorrow IoT investment company Tern plc (TERN) has announced a contract for investee Wyld Networks AB (listed on the Nasdaq First Growth market in Stockholm). Woopiedoo! Or is it?

Aquis lobster-pot listed TruSpine (TSP) has announced a placing raising just £650,000 – of which only £500,000 of actual cash was raised (the balance being fee shares, one presumes to the fine Broker involved to cover coke and hookers costs). Quite why anyone would pay 10p for shares which are trading at just 8.75p (up 0.65p) even after the announcement) is beyond me! But the highlight was the update over FDA submission for its Cervi-LOK product.

Hello, Share Mashers. As a bit of a bloodbath sweeps through most of our shares, just one of my portfolio has put on any significant value. That’s because Zoo Digital (ZOO), a Sheffield company which provides subtitles for movies and tv, has posted an encouraging trading update. At its AGM, the Chairman Gillian Wilmot said the company is seeing ‘strong momentum’.

In my last piece on AIM-listed Haydale (HAYD) at the beginning of this month I discussed a ramparoonie RNS revealing an undeclared related party and a tin-pot organisation casting a very different light on matters as presented by the company. What was the point? Of course – it was a pre-placing ramp and this morning it was time for Ouzo on cornflakes as Haydale revealed a fundraise at just 6p per share. That, against a peak last week of 7.55p.

One of the great ramps of the year has been Wildcat Petroleum (WCAT), a poster boy for the sewer that is the Standard List regulated, no sniggering at the back, by the clowns at the FCA. It started its career on December 30^th by lying to investors in its very first RNS. It said that it HAD raised £600,000. It had not.

I stand by my comments over the weekend on the strategy and possible placing at Union Jack Oil (UJO) which I forced it to ‘fess up to on Friday. I am not a happy bunny. But there is another thing that rather frustrates me.

Technology company to defence and related markets Cohort (CHRT) has updated on trading including that it “entered the new financial year with a substantial long-term order book of £242.4m, underpinning nearly £100m (2020: £84m) of current financial year revenue, representing 64% of expected consensus revenue for the year… the order book stood at just under £300m as at 16 September 2021, with revenue cover now standing at 82%”. So what of a currently lower share price of 568p?…

Quindell (QPP) was the first. Maybe there has been another, Anyhow I look in great detail at Eurasia Mining (EUA) but akso at a spoof from cash strapped Verditek (VDTK), more on Union Jack Oil (UJO) and signs of trouble at mill for Colin Bird and Bezant Resources (BZT).

Its shares having commenced last week at 166.5p and slipped to a last close 162.5p, today from SourceBio International (SBI) a “Statement re Changes to COVID-19 Travel Testing”…and the shares currently at 137.5p.

Last week’s interim results from Deepverge (DVRG) demonstrated how it had misled investors as to its lack of, even EBITDA, profitability and its near insolvency in the run up to the June 7 £10 million rescue placing at 30p. Now wonder the shares have been sliding ever since, they are now just 26p to sell. Anyone holding this stock is insane in backing a company that, through omission not act, misleads folks as to how it is trading. Good companies just don’t behave that. Only bad companies run by scumbags like Gerry Brandon.

Life can be strange at many levels and the same is certainly very true in the business world. A few days ago I was very surprised to read that Virgin Wines (VINO) and Moonpig (MOON) are doing a partnership deal together.

The recent share price movement on Eurasia Mining (EUA) looks even more dodgy now in light of today’s announcement of a placing, and I would be surprised if there hasn’t been some forward selling going on.

Hello, Share Folks. As I write, the oil price has reached the giddy height of $75 a barrel. Last November it was only about $20. The current high level is a main cause of inflation in Blighty. And inflation is the enemy of share prices everywhere. However, there is one sector which benefits most from a lofty oil price. And that of course is the one comprising big oil producers like BP (BP.) and Royal Dutch Shell (RDSA). So why have the share values of these giants only been treading water for the last few months?